The River
by MythicWolf04
Summary: On the eve of Pride month in Corneria, Fox wonders if he will see his lover. He reminisces on how they met and why he's here. Prequel to last year's fic, Pride. Fox/Wolf


A/N: This is a prequel to the fic I wrote last year for these guys, titled Pride! You don't have to, but I recommend reading it after reading this one! Enjoy!

Note: this takes place 1 year before the events of Pride.

Suggested listening: The River by AURORA

* * *

Out of all the colors in the rainbow

None are quite as bright as you

Out of all the strangeness of the world

Nothing makes sense quite like you

* * *

The stars bore down on the ground and cast everything in a veil of light. Everything was gleaming in the moonlight, and everything was beautiful.

Yet even as the starlight reflected off of the great spires and buildings of the city, it felt so lonely. Not a soul stirred.

"Wolf… sure is lonely here without you."

Fox curled up in a ball from his position atop the Great Fox. The wind blew a gentle breeze through his fur and quelled the summer night's heat. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Wonder if I'll get lucky this year." Fox smiled and opened his eyes again. In the distance, fireworks went off over the skyline. Every color he could've imagined lit up the sky in a rainbow of flame.

He took out his phone and scrolled through his recent conversation. The timestamp read from a few days ago.

**Think you can make it and see me anytime soon?**

**Not sure, want to though. Things at Sargasso are getting sorta wild. Turns out when you try to make a crime empire disappear, some people don't take kindly to it.**

**Ah, I see. I bet not.**

**Aw, don't get upset on me! I won't make promises, but I'll see what I can do for u.**

**Aww, thanks, Wolfy!**

**Hey, we talked about that nickname!**

**Lol, but it's cute!**

**If you say so, Pup.**

**Okay, you got me.**

**Hey, I gotta go. Panther and the guys want me to sign some papers. Like I said, no promises, but I'll see what I can do.**

**Alright. See you!**

**Bye, Pup. Love you.**

**Love you too!**

Fox smiled and turned the phone off. He held it close to his chest and sighed as his chest grew warm.

_One day we are going to move in together. I promise._

_Then we won't have to worry about this ever again._

Fox put his phone away and began fiddling with his necklace. It was cool against his hands, and he squeezed the gold as Wolf came even more strongly into his mind.

_Sometimes it's hard to believe we're together._ "Who would've thought, you big loaf?" He wondered aloud.

Fox snickered. _Thank goodness he's not around to hear that. He'd find out a worse name for me._

The fireworks went off again. Splashes of color lighting up a dark and colorless sky for seconds before becoming dark once more.

_Almost like the night we confessed._

Fox laid down on the cool metal and closed his eyes once more. He turned the necklace over in his hand as the memories washed over him in a fit of nostalgia.

_The best night of my life._

* * *

Once, I was lost

And so were you

But then we met

And the pieces fell in place

* * *

**6 months ago**

"This sure is a unique place you wanted to meet at."

"What, would you prefer the Great Fox? I could have Slippy give you the tour while we're at it!"

Fox gave Wolf a shit-eating grin. Wolf shoved Fox with a laugh as they approached the edge of the building.

"I wasn't expecting an abandoned hangar." Wolf shoved his hands in the pockets of his trenchcoat as he looked around.

"Used to be a Space Dynamics testing site before they went bankrupt. My dad flew here once." Fox shrugged and sat on the edge of the roof, his legs dangling off of it. Wolf joined him.

The night was cold and crisp. The stars were even more so as their light was reflected off of the snow the blanketed the land. Skyscrapers blinked at them from the horizon.

"It's a really nice place to meet, for sure." Wolf nodded. "Hard to explain to my team why I needed to visit Corneria, though."

Fox chuckled. "Yeah, I had to make Falco promise not to follow me. Shouldn't be so hard to whatever you want when you're the leader!"

"Truer words have never been spoken." Wolf grinned and patted Fox's back. Fox's face heated up as he smiled back. "Almost like I can't make friends with my ex-rival."

_Maybe something more, too. Would you have gone to these lengths if you only wanted to be my friend?_

"So what have you been up to, you mysterious crime lord?" Fox flicked Wolf's shoulder.

"Nothing much, just trying to keep me and the guys afloat." Wolf shrugged.

"By committing plenty of crimes?" Fox raised a brow and crossed his arms.

Wolf raised his gloved hands. "Hey, we've been mostly taking bounties! You can't make criminals like mine turn over a leaf that easy."

"Unfortunately." Fox rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised you're trying to make a difference, though."

"It's like I said before. Not everything is black and white." Wolf looked up. "Sometimes... Ah, nevermind."

Fox raised a brow and frowned. "What is it?"

Wolf sighed. "It feels nice to make a difference in the galaxy, you know? Like I'm worth something. Better than thieving."

Fox nodded. "I understand. Even a little change goes a long way."

Wolf laughed under his breath. "Yeah it does, Fox." He looked over at Fox and smiled softly.

Fox felt his heart start hammering in his chest. His ears lit on fire as he smiled back.

_That eye… it's so beautiful. Why's Wolf so handsome?_

Wolf laughed and cleared his throat. "So what have you been up to, Mr. Hero?"

"Nothing much. Helping rebuild the system. Attending boring parties for Pepper." Fox kicked his legs and sighed.

"Sounds like tons of fun?" Wolf offered. Fox snorted and pushed his shoulder.

"I'd rather be bounty hunting with you."

_I'm not even joking. I would go anywhere with you if I could._

Wolf was silent for a moment before he raised a brow and hummed. "So are you asking me if you can join Star Wolf and Sargasso?"

Fox rolled his eyes. "Yeah, let me just go abandon my own team. You wish, dude." _Maybe? I don't know. I want to be with you._

"You'd be the best pilot we would have. I would put you on my team in a heartbeat." Wolf gave him a thumbs up

Fox's heart skipped a beat. "Did you just call me a better pilot than you?"

Wolf snorted and looked away. "I dunno, did I?"

"That's what it sounded like to me!" _I hope he meant it... But what are the chances?_

"Guess you'll have to decide that for yourself, Pup." Wolf flashed him a grin that was all teeth.

"I think I'll take that as a yes, Lord O'Donnell."

Wolf merely rolled his eye and patted Fox on the shoulder. This time, though, he left the hand there. Fox looked at it as his heart threatened to explode.

_Come on, idiot! Don't you remember why you wanted to invite Wolf to hang out? You have to say something soon!_

Wolf was staring at the horizon again. "Man, it's hard to believe the aparoids were only a year and a half ago."

Fox nodded. "Yeah, and now we're here. Who would've thought?"

Wolf snickered. "Maybe the invasion wasn't a complete nightmare. Made us get over our rivalry, after all."

_Made me feel a lot of things towards you, too._ "Yeah, okay. The invasion was totally worth all the destruction because we became friends."

Wolf frowned. "Well, when you put it like that…"

Fox laughed. "I'm just kidding! Don't worry!" _Man, nobody can take a joke. Maybe I've got a bad sense of humor?_

"Oh! Good, heh." Wolf looked away and scratched the back of his neck. His tail was wagging.

_Holy crap, that's adorable! He's so cute!_

Fox smiled and looked away and back at out the city. The aparoid invasion burned in his mind and a question lodged itself at the tip of his tongue.

"Speaking of the aparoids…" Fox trailed off as Wolf's ears perked.

"Yeah, Fox?"

"You never told me what happened to you after the aparoid homeworld exploded." Fox cocked his head at Wolf. "How did you make it out alive? Where did you go?"

"It's a long story." A shadow of guilt passed over Wolf's face. "I'm sorry about disappearing on you back then."

Fox rubbed Wolf's back. "It's alright, dude. I don't blame you. I just wanna know what happened!"

"Alright, alright." Wolf smiled again. "Well, we were having a tough time after we split up with you. We weren't sure if we were gonna make it, but then all the aparoids started dying."

Wolf got up and started making motions with his arms. "Then the tunnels started collapsing and exploding! I told Panther and Leon to make a break for it, and we raced out of the tunnels as fast as we could. Somehow we all made it out just before the planet exploded, but we weren't near you guys. We had to take the journey back without the Orbital Gate."

It was Fox's turn to feel guilty. "I wanted to look for you, but everyone else wanted to go home more. I'm sorry I didn't stay."

Wolf shook his head. "Nah, it was alright. Everyone made it out alive in the end."

"But you could've all died!"_ I could've lost you._

Wolf sat back down and laughed. "But we didn't!"

Fox huffed and crossed his arms. "I guess so, but something bad could've still happened."

Wolf shrugged. "We would have handled it. I'm not a rookie."

"It's concerning, regardless." Fox bit his lip as too many thoughts rushed to his head. "I always worry that you'll do something stupid and die."

Wolf cocked his head as his expression changed into something unfamiliar. It sent shockwaves through Fox's chest and stomach. "Fox… I can't help but do stupid stuff. It's what mercenaries do, you know." He flicked Fox's ear.

Fox let loose a small whine. "Yeah, I know! But it's still something that bothers me."_ If I lost you, I might just die in the process_.

Wolf snorted. "Hell really must be freezing over." When Fox raised a brow at him, Wolf sighed and continued. "The great Fox McCloud, hero extraordinaire, cares about some evil space pirate."

Fox rolled his eyes and pushed Wolf's arm. "If you were evil, I wouldn't want anything to do with you."

_I wouldn't be madly in love either._

Wolf hummed and crossed his arms. "That may be true. More evidence hell froze over."

"Didn't take you for the religious type."

Wolf's face scrunched up in an expression Fox found almost cute. "Oh, I'm not. No way." He blinked and looked over at Fox. "Are you?"

Fox shook his head. "Dad wasn't, neither am I. Think I've done too much bad stuff to want to believe in a god."

"I feel that, Fox. Done too much shit to warrant belief."

Fox looked over and saw drooped ears and a downcast face washed in starlight. He reached over and touched Wolf's hand.

"I don't think you're that bad compared to other people." Fox's voice was soft, and he could feel his tail wagging.

Wolf's eye brightened. "Really?"

Fox nodded. "Yeah, I think you're fine. You're trying to help your team, so that puts you as not bad in my book."

"Thanks, Fox." Wolf looked down at Fox's hand for a moment before he clasped it in his own.

Fox's heart leaped into its throat and he fought to keep his tail from wagging any faster. _He's so perfect, he's holding my hand, should I say something? I don't know!_

They sat in silence for a while, but neither one of them let go of the other. The snow was piled all around them, but Fox only felt heat and warmth.

"So… Fox."

Fox blinked. "Hmm?"

"You uh… Are you interested in a- anyone or somethin'?" Wolf cleared his throat and looked away while he scratched his chin with his free hand.

Fox's breath hitched and he felt his face heat up. _Why the heck would he ask me that? Does that mean…_

"Uh, that's a bit sudden of you." Fox smiled. "Why do you wanna know?"

"O- oh, um." Wolf bit his lip. "Just trying to make small talk, you know?" He chuckled, but it sounded strange.

"Uh huh." Fox's heart started to beat even harder in his chest. _Maybe I should tell him now._

Fox hummed as an idea popped up in his head. "Well… do you really like the spot I chose for us to meet?"

Wolf's ears pinned to his head for a second, but he regained his composure and nodded. "Yeah. It's quiet and far from any other people. Although you could've picked somewhere warmer."

Fox sighed. "I'll never please you, huh?"

"Being here is enough to please me."

"Wait, really?" Fox hoped his face didn't look too stupid as he gawked at Wolf.

"Well, yeah. I would say being with you overrides any negative about the situation." Wolf gave him a thumbs up.

_How can Wolf talk like that so casually? Doesn't he know what that's doing to me?_

Fox scooted just a bit closer to Wolf. "Well… I'm glad."

Wolf put an arm around Fox and made every single nerve in his body light up in shock and heat. He leaned into the touch and sighed.

"Beautiful," Fox whispered as he looked at Wolf as he watched the stars.

"Huh?" Wolf looked down at Fox. "Oh, the night? Yeah, it is."

_Eh, may as well. It's why I invited him here._

"No, Wolf." Fox smiled. "You are."

Wolf's mouth fell open. "Oh."

_Oh my gosh, what did I do? This was a mistake, this was a terrible mistake-_

"I was just about to say that you know." Wolf flicked Fox's ear again. "You're beautiful too."

Fox's mind went blank. "Wait… what?"

Wolf snickered. "Do I have to spell it out? I like you too, dork." He set a hand on Fox's cheek. It was warm.

"How long?" Fox asked when he regained his thoughts.

"How long have we known each other now?" Wolf's thumb moved in circles on Fox's cheek.

"Seriously? That long?" Fox couldn't keep his voice from rising.

"I know, it's pretty stupid. I admired you even back then, and it turned into this."

Fox reached up and grabbed Wolf's soft hand. "That's really sweet of you, Wolf."

Wolf rolled his eye. "How long have you had a thing for the big bad wolf?"

"Since the aparoids, I suppose. Hanging out with you made it worse."

"Are you sure you don't mean better?"

"You know what I meant, Wolf." Fox leaned in a little closer. They were practically hugging each other close at one point.

_This is almost perfect._

"Are you sure you wanna do this? We've both got such different lives, we can't see each other much." Wolf dropped his hand and clasped one of Fox's.

"I can tough a long distance relationship out." Fox squeezed Wolf's hand. "I know we can have a future together if we promise ourselves."

"I can see why I fell in love with you," Wolf sighed. The sound made Fox's heart stop.

"Let's make a promise, alright? Let's promise to find a way to be together if we can tough this part out."

Wolf nodded. "That sounds good."

"Alright. I promise to find a way." Fox's voice was steady and his grip tight.

Wolf's eye gleamed. "I promise as well. And for extra measure…" he let go of Fox's hand and took off a necklace. It was golden and had several intricate carvings on it.

"Are you sure? It looks expensive."

"Yeah, but I trust you. I want us to work." He smiled and ruffled Fox's headfur.

Fox smiled and put the necklace on. It was hot against his chest, and he relished the warmth. He looked up into Wolf's beautiful purple eye.

"So… is this the part where we seal the deal?" Fox asked while his stomach started to twist into knots.

"Damn, you're a dork." Wolf pulled at Fox's neck and drew them together.

They kissed and suddenly nothing existed in the entire universe except two people joined in love. Fox felt his nervous system light on fire in the best way possible.

_I've never felt anything like this with anyone before. Holy shit… Wolf is amazing. Despite everything, he's amazing_.

What felt like an eternity later, they broke apart and started giggling like idiots. Fox pressed his forehead to Wolf's and closed his eyes. They stayed like that for a while, just basking in each other's warmth.

"That… wow," Wolf breathed.

"Yeah. That was amazing." Fox smiled.

"I've kissed a lot of people, but nothing has ever felt like that before." Wolf touched his lips. "It felt like the first time all over again."

"Yeah, same here. Wow." Fox laid down and Wolf joined him as they faced each other.

Fox found that he couldn't tear his gaze away from Wolf's face._ It's got to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, forget the stars and the planets. It's all him._

Fox snickered as a thought came to his head. "You know, I kinda figured you were gay."

"Oh yeah? What's that supposed to mean?" Wolf asked as he frowned.

"Dude, look what you're wearing. Look at your entire wardrobe!" Fox gestured to Wolf's body.

Wolf looked down at his leather coat and collar. "Well… I could tell that you were gay too!" He sputtered.

"You could, huh? Tell me how." Fox nudged Wolf's shoulder.

"Uh…"

Fox grinned. "Thought so."

"Jerk." Wolf huffed, but he was smiling.

_I could get used to this. If every day is like this, then I'll be okay. It'll be worth the wait._

Fox turned over on his back and stared up at the stars. They blinked down at them with indifference, but it didn't matter to him. He grasped Wolf's hand tight.

_We can make this work. Even if the rest of the world hates us._

_After all, love always finds a way._

* * *

They said it was impossible

Two people so distant and far

But it's not hard

Just takes a little effort

* * *

Fox opened his eyes and looked up at those familiar stars.

_Hard to believe that was only six months ago. Feels like forever._

"If only he could be here with me…" Fox stood up and thumbed the necklace again. _Should probably go inside…_

"Who do you want here with you? Is it another man?" A deep, teasing voice asked from behind him.

Fox felt his heart soar as he turned around. "Wolf!" He rushed towards the other man and hugged him tightly. "I thought you weren't-"

Wolf hugged him back. "Panther said he would cover for me for a little while." He snickered. "Oh, and getting past your friends was really easy. You should really install a better surveillance system in your ship, it was easy to hack! Falco almost caught me, but I gave him the slip by-"

Fox cut off Wolf's words with a fierce kiss. He wrapped his arms around Wolf's back and drew him closer as the kiss deepened.

_I can't believe he's here._

They pulled back a moment later to catch their breath. "Love you," Fox panted with what he assumed was a dumb smile.

"Love you too." Wolf nuzzled into Fox's neck.

"That's a new look for you." Fox gestured at the pink bandanna and black tank top. "You copying me?"

"Maybe just a little. Do you like it?" Wolf frowned and tugged at the pink cloth.

"I love it. It suits you." Fox pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You look perfect."

"Oh, thank you. You look great too." Wolf smiled

_Man of few words, but many charms. He's so great._

Fox sighed and sat back down on the ship. Wolf joined him and they looked out at the city.

"Seems like every time we meet, we get a little closer to the city," Wolf murmured as he grabbed Fox's hand.

"Funny coincidence, huh?" Fox chuckled. He whistled when more fireworks broke over the skyline in a kaleidoscope of colors.

"It's Pride Month here on Corneria, ain't it?"

Fox nodded. "Kind of why I wanted you to visit. We could celebrate a little." He paused. "How long are you staying?"

"A couple of days. Panther said he could handle it himself." Wolf ran his thumb over Fox's knuckles.

Fox's tail started wagging as he grinned. "Really? That's awesome! Thank you!" This is gonna be amazing!

Wolf ruffled Fox's head fur. "Ah, don't mention it."

A thought popped into Fox's head and his ears perked. "Oh, Wolf."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we could… move in together? I'm not saying it has to be like right now, and you've got the stuff at Sargasso, but I've been thinking about it and I really want to." Fox's voice quivered as he spoke and held Wolf's hand tighter.

Wolf reached up and stroked the side of Fox's head. Fox leaned into the touch. "Of course we can. I wanted to do that as soon as I get Sargasso cleared up, and it's almost done."

_Whoa, I've got to be dreaming this time. He can't have just said that! No way!_

"Thank you, Wolf."

"Anything for you, oh great hero." Wolf snickered.

Fox stuck his tongue out at Wolf. "So should I start looking for an apartment?"

"Whoa, what about your team? What's gonna happen to Star Fox?" Wolf's eye widened.

Fox bit his lip. "Well, the government has started placing really strict limitations on mercs recently. It's getting harder to operate." A pang of sorrow hit Fox. "We've been grounded for three weeks waiting on a job."

"That's terrible! Why have they been doing this?" Wolf growled and shot a glare at the city.

Fox shrugged. "Pepper is still in the hospital. I guess people don't think they need us anymore."

Wolf snorted. "Well, that's ridiculous. They'll be sorry later."

Fox set a hand on Wolf's shoulder. "Let's not worry about that right now. It's a nice night, and you're here! Let's be happy!"

Wolf sighed and relaxed his shoulders. "Alright."

Fox leaned over and kissed Wolf. "Let's just be together right now."

Wolf stole another kiss after Fox moved away. "I wouldn't want anything else."

Fox leaned his head on Wolf's shoulder, and Wolf brought his arm around Fox. _There's nowhere I feel safer than right here. I just want us to be together forever._

"If you had told me five years ago I would be going out with you, I would've laughed." Wolf scratched his nose and smiled.

"I thought you had a crush on me back then?" Fox raised a brow.

"Yeah, I did! But I didn't think we would actually, you know." Wolf gestured between them. "You were unattainable."

"Then I guess you accomplished the impossible." Fox winked at Wolf and rubbed his back. "You're screwing a space hero."

Wolf coughed and looked away. "Well, when you word it like that..."

Fox chuckled. "Right, sorry. The space hero is screwing you. Better?"

Wolf hid his face in a hand. "You're something else, Fox."

"I'm just kidding!" Fox kissed Wolf's cheek. "Can't I joke with my boyfriend?"

"Course, you're just quick with that tongue."

"Peppy says I got it from my mom. She was pretty feisty, apparently." Fox rubbed Wolf's thigh.

"Guess you take after her."

Fox looked up at the sky._ I wonder if my parents would be proud of me right now. Would they approve of this? Of everything that I've done?_

"Stop thinking so much; I know that look." Wolf tapped Fox's nose and brought him back to reality.

"Thanks." _Oh, that almost got bad again._

"You're welcome." Wolf kissed Fox gently. "I love you."

Warmth bloomed in Fox's chest as he started into Wolf's eye. The light from the city reflected off of it in fractals. "I love you too." Fox pressed his forehead to Wolf's. "I love you so much."

They pulled apart and laid down next to each other. Fox grabbed Wolf's hand and looked up at the stars with a small smile. His body felt light and warm.

_Maybe we can't go to that parade this year, but at least we have this. Maybe… maybe next year we can go if we move in together._

The stars were as bright as Fox's smile. He clutched Wolf's hand tighter.

_This is where we belong._

* * *

The future looks bright

Even if the sky is not

Love always finds a way

Love always wins


End file.
